Band You Need to Know: SILENT RIVAL

Coming out of Los Angeles is a band that defies all conventions and expectations and believes honestly living your best life is the only way to truly be alive. That band is Silent Rival. With Sara Coda’s powerful vocals and the instrumental stylings of Joz Ramirez and Yutaka Sao, the band rips right at the heart of the matter and calls it as they see it. If you haven’t heard of them, check them out below with their video for “Die a Little.”
Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Okay, now that you’re back, let’s talk a little bit more about why Silent Rival is the shit and you need to know about them. Presented below is a list of reasons, including direct quotes taken from my interview with Sara, that really showcase what Silent Rival is all about and why they are worthy of your attention and adoration.

They have entitled their album, The Kindness of Strangers, which is a pretty amazing title with a killer story behind it. Someone complimented Sara on her coat, so she just gave it to them. No questions asked, nothing in return. As it turns out, Sara says that the coat incident was the one and only she feels she has given kindness to a stranger. She says that the album is more about kindness toward them from others. As an example, after playing a show in Maine, Sara was approached by a fan. The girl had just gone to a gift shop and had bought a stone heart. Originally, she told Sara that she had just gotten it for herself, but that she felt that Sara needed it more than her. She had touched Sara so much that the band loaded the girl up with merch, proving Sara wrong; it is apparent that this band lives on the mantra of kindness to others and that their music is the gift they bestow.

Silent Rival believes in living an honest and full life as opposed to one that is only comfortable. That honest and fullness of life comes through in their music, which crosses genres and inspiration as easily as some folks weave in and out of traffic. Sara says that they are never chasing a certain sound or trying to make their music sound a certain way. They simply do what feels right in the moment, based on influences of other bands. What comes from them is intuitive and natural. In their live performance, that energy comes through because she’s very in your face singing wise.

“I enunciate things very clearly because it’s important that you understand me and understand what we are trying to say.”

When it comes to writing and recording, their process is fluid and there is not really one way to do something. Sometimes one person starts a song and brings what they have to the table. Then, they all add to it. Other times, they work on a song together. Changes happen as they go along – they go with what feels organic, and it can change at any time.

“We never get too attached, and you know when you know.”

Also, they’re not afraid to shy away from the dark things in their writing – their music is not always about what is sunny. When asked why that is, Sara just replied that it’s who they are. “Nothing is ever peachy, and nothing is ever really that bad; it’s always a combination of things.” They don’t try to be relatable.

“I want it to make sense and resonate with me.”

Being a strong female in the industry is not new; many have come before her, and many will follow. When asked if it resonates with the fans that she is a female, she said, “It’s pretty even across the board.” A lot of their fanbase is younger, and they are kind of coming around to not being identified as boy or girl, just a person. She finds a shift in mindset from “a girl can do it, so I can, too” to it being more that if anyone can do it, they can, too. “Inspiration is in the eye of the beholder,” she says with a laugh. She states that the world is changing and people are inspired by people who don’t look like them. “We are starting to see each other more as the same and not see our differences.”

“If I inspired a boy, it would be just as awesome as if I inspired a girl.”

Speaking of inspiration, Sara says they find inspiration all over when they are out living in the world, doing what they do. She says fans and live shows inspire them. Also, they draw inspiration from being in the real world and meeting real people who have struggles that go beyond their own understanding. “I’m amazed at how they carry on,” she says with an air of disbelief before telling a story. When they were on location shooting video for “Die a Little” in a small town north of Los Angeles, they met a young lady who worked in the liquor store where the video was shot. Sara spoke to her. The young woman said that the song that they were performing reminded her of her son who died of an overdose.

“How can you not be inspired by that? I mean, she is out there living her best life despite pretty crappy circumstances beyond what I can imagine, and those are the people who you meet who light a fire under your ass and make you realize how you should have been more grateful that one time. I never would have met her if I didn’t have this job. We are inspired by those people out there in real places living real lives and making their world a better place. I dig my life.”

What are four words to describe Silent Rival? Sara says that the words quiet, dynamic, eccentric, and determined do just that. Quiet in that they are quiet as people and don’t turn up the volume until show time. “They don’t call us Silent Rival for nothing!” She says dynamic because they are dynamic both as musicians and as individuals, each bringing their own energy to what they do. They are eccentric – both as musicians and people. And as for determined, they are definitely that.

“You have to be, and there’s no getting around that.”

When it comes to music, Silent Rival sees it as the great equalizer it is. In a world full of people tearing each other down and being negative, focusing on differences instead of similarities, Sara says,

“Music brings people together. And it’s your duty as an artist to restore people’s beliefs in humanity and remind them that there is goodness. No matter what the circumstances are, shitty things do happen. That doesn’t change the fact that we live in a beautiful world and that by and large, life is grand. It’s gonna be rough. It’s gonna get hard. But, it’s worth it.”

Dealing with social media, don’t look for them to compete for likes or retweets. Though they agree that social media is an important tool, it is the last thing on their list of things to worry about.

“We don’t want a lot of Instagram followers. Personally, we want people to come to shows and chill with us. We want to see people in front of us, not on a screen.”

Do yourselves a favor and pick up a copy of The Kindness of Strangers wherever you can get your hands on it. We think you’ll appreciate their energetic sound and their fiercely honest lyrics. They’re definitely on the top of our bands to watch list.